Most people are familiar with the Energizer Bunny. He is that annoying pink rabbit that continuously beats his drum and never stops moving. He is the symbol for the Energizer brand of batteries that seem to have never-ending power. This annoying rabbit should be an example for us. The Energizer Bunny never quits. Similarly, there are several things a Christian should never quit doing. Christians should never tire of studying the Scriptures. Timothy is told in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” In order to be approved by God, we must study his Word and know the Scriptures. The purpose of knowing the Scriptures is first to be able to divide the Word of truth from the words of false teachers. First Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” We should know the Scriptures well enough to know when someone is trying to lead us astray by false teachings. We should also not be afraid to look something up if we do not already know the answer. We should never take someone at his word, but rather search the Scriptures to prove that the teaching is from God or discern that it is from man. And, if it is proven to be from God, we should hold to it. Second, we need to know the Scriptures so we are able to teach others when given opportunity. Second Timothy …

There is an interesting expression in 1 Corinthians 7:14 which may need clarification. It says, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now they are holy.” The most basic thing we need to know is the meaning of “sanctified.” It simply means, “set apart.” It does not mean sinless or saved. The vessels of the tabernacle that were set apart for God’s use were holy or sanctified. The saints (Christians) at Corinth had been called and set apart for God’s use, but committed many sins. What is meant by the statement that the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife? It is not “by the wife” as if she were the agent by whom the sanctification took place, but “in the wife” because it is the marriage relationship of which he speaks. It is noteworthy that the word “sanctified” is a perfect tense in both cases. That denotes the present state that results from a past action. Apparently, the past action to which he refers was the sanctification that took place when the couple married and still is in effect. He is simply saying that the wife who has an unbelieving husband does not need to put him away as she would if the relationship itself were wrong or unholy. Although he is an unbeliever, the marriage bond was and is still sacred, so the unbeliever is set apart in a sanctified relationship. In …

If I hear one more person say, “I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself,” I think I’ll be sick. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to be slaves to our passions. We can practice self-control, restraint and self-discipline. God’s Word offers the following promise. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). It is not necessary to surrender. The devil doesn’t have the upper hand unless we give in to him. Peter admonished, “…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). He went on to promise, “… if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins” (2 Peter 1:8-9). They are not optional matters. Special attention should be given to the fact that self-control is included in the list. Without it, we become slaves to our own wants and desires. When that happens, the …

Somewhere in the world right now, poll levers are being pulled, votes cast and public offices filled by the winning candidates. It may be a nation’s leader or a city clerk, but people in places of democracy are, at this moment, helping to decide the political fate of individuals vying for a place of public leadership. Those elected may or may not be persons of worth and integrity. Their careers may be starting, extending or ending, depending on the majority’s say. They may gain or lose a place of authority based on their political and social philosophies. After all, public officials are always vulnerable to the fickle feelings of the voter in places where freedom reigns. Everywhere in the world every moment, everyone is casting a vote of a different nature. Only one figurative ballot is used in this worldwide decision. Only two choices appear on the ballot. The issues are paramount in importance. Many times, a righteous minority may be caused to suffer because of the foolish “majority vote” (cf. Proverbs 14:34). When all of life is over, the voting record of every individual will be made public. In fact, all people of all nations for all time will know which choice every individual elected to make in his life. And yet, with this poll, one can change his vote as long as life and opportunity are his. Does the kingdom take primary importance in your life? In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and …

The “ark of the testimony” (Exodus 25:22) was a wooden chest about four feet long, about two feet wide and about two feet deep (Exodus 25:10), made of “acacia [locust?] wood” (Exodus 25:10). A “mercy-seat [kipporeth] of pure gold” (Exodus 25:17) covered the ark. God talked with Moses “from above the mercy-seat” (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89). Once a year, “on the tenth day of” the seventh month (Leviticus 16:29), our October, the high priest sprinkled the blood of a goat upon the mercy seat “with his finger seven times” to atone for the sins of the Israelites (Leviticus 16:15, 19). This annual observance was called “the day of atonement” (yom hakkippurim, “Yom Kippur,” Leviticus 23:27). The word kipporeth, derived from kaphar, “to cover,” translated as the “mercy-seat,” is “only used of the cover of the ark of the covenant” (Gesenius, 412). Kaphar means “to cover” sins, to pardon, to obtain forgiveness (Ibid.). In the New Testament, the word for the mercy seat is hilasterion, “the place where sins are forgiven” (Hebrews 9:5, Newman, 86), the “means by which sins are forgiven” (Romans 3:25, Newman, 86). Literally, hilasterion (eleos, “mercy,” and tereo, “hold”) is a “holding place for mercy.” As the high priest brought goat blood and sprinkled it on the mercy seat, so Jesus brought “his own blood” figuratively to sprinkle on heaven’s mercy seat, having “entered the Holy of Holies once for all time, obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). Literally, Jesus was never a priest on the earth, even …

There are good kinds and bad kinds of entertainment. Any amount of the bad kind is too much. Even good entertainment can be overdone. We live in an age that could well be called “the entertainment age.” A popular late-night American TV showman began working for another TV network. Media people said he got a pay raise from seven million dollars per year to 14 million dollars per year. The salary of the President of the United States is $200,000 per year of taxable income. With all the demands and pressures of his job, I am confident the President earns every penny of it. Even though the President’s salary is paid by taxpayers, compared to a 14 million dollar per year salary, his salary is a classic demonstration of how America’s priorities are out of balance. It is likely the above mentioned TV showman will be paid more in two years than all presidents of the United States have been paid in the 200 years since George Washington was President. Likely, the income taxes that the TV showman will pay will be more than enough money to pay the President’s salary. Ann Landers said in one of her columns that the prizefighter Evander Holyfield was paid 60 million dollars in 1990. She also said Joe Montana was paid three and a half million dollars in 1991 and missed several games because of an injured elbow. The list of such highly paid athletes would be much too long to publish here. …

A number of years ago, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold of Norway died when the airplane in which he was traveling on United Nations business crashed in the African country of Zambia. The plane’s destination had been the town of Nadola. After the accident, investigators searched the wreckage and the area around it for clues as to the cause of the accident. In the wreckage, the investigators came across an open map that showed a town near Leopoldville in the Congo that was called Nadolo. The pilot of the plane, evidently, was being guided in his landing by the map showing Nadolo. He must have assumed that he had a thousand more feet in altitude than he actually had. Nadola is at a higher altitude than Nadolo. As a result, the plane had crashed in an open field in the darkness of Africa. All the while the pilot thinking that he had a thousand more feet, but he didn’t! He had opened the map to the wrong section! Such a small difference! The difference was between an “O” and an “A.” One letter was the only difference between the two towns. Two towns in two different countries with such a small difference in their names. However, that very small difference became the difference between life and death for Dag Hammarskjold and the others on the plane that night. Many times a small difference, a small misunderstanding can mean the difference between a disaster and a destination. …

The more we read from the works of evolutionary scientists, the more unimpressed we are with their conclusions. As almost everyone knows, the earth is supposed to be almost five billion years old, while man has only been around some three or four million years. These estimates are pure speculation based upon dating methods that are grounded in evolutionary assumptions. There is no hardcore test that can determine the age of the earth. Most people believe the evolutionary estimates simply because they accept what is presented in the media. Several years ago, some scientists discovered human bones buried under thick deposits of mud in California. The bones were submitted to competent authorities who declared them to be about 75,000 years old. Unfortunately, however, as they dug deeper, they found an old United States Army button. Now, maybe the United States had an army 75,000 years ago — or just maybe the scientific dating methods are not all that reliable. In more recent years, an archaeological excavation team, let by professor Mituo Kawaga of Beppu University, discovered drawings on the wall of a cave on the Japanese Island of Kyushu. The excited scientists announced that the drawings were from 10,000 to 13,000 years old. Alas, a lifelong resident of the area came forward to confess that he had often scribbled on the walls of the cave with charcoal when he was a boy. The scientist had only missed it by about 99.99%. Why is it that when scientists say that something is billions …

In 1 John 4:8 we read, “He who does not love does not know God for God is love.” We find this to be a very interesting and compelling statement because it tells us something about the nature of the God whom we worship and for whom we live. The passage defines the very essence of God as being love. In order for us to understand the nature or character of God as it is defined in this passage of Scripture, we must come to a proper understanding of the word “love.” This is especially true in the time in which we live because the word “love” is used to describe almost any positive emotion that a human being might have. We “love” everything from pets to pizza! We love certain movies and certain people. The word is used in such a broad sense that about the only thing that we come up with when we speak of God being love is a question mark. The latter part of the verse says, for God is agape. Agape is the Greek word that is most commonly used in the New Testament for “love.” This is the word that is used in such great passages as 1 Corinthians the 13th chapter. It would be hard to guess and interesting to learn just how many times this word is used in the New Testament. But what is more important than the number of times the word is used is what the word means. According to the Analytical …

Romans 16:16 Throughout the world are congregations of Christians who have obeyed the commands which our Blessed Lord said for sinners to obey to be saved. These Christians meet for worship and are organized into local congregations. They are neither Catholic nor Protestant. They belong to no denomination. They have no central government nor earthly headquarters. Each congregation is independent taking the New Testament as its sole and only authority in religion. The members insist that if we believe the same things the early Christians did and do the same things they did, it will make us the same thing. Paul was a member of no denomination, yet he was a Christian and a member of the Lord’s Church. The church of Christ was established on Pentecost day, A.D. 33 as we read in Acts 2. Every saved person was added to the church (Acts 2:47). The church is composed of all Christians on earth. The members of the church were called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). The Lord gave his name (Isaiah 62:2). Human names are condemned (1 Corinthians 1:12-13; Acts 4:12). “The Word of God is the seed of the Kingdom” (Luke 8:11). This seed produced Christians when first planted. If we plant the same seed today, we will reap the same product. The life is in the seed. If there were not a Christian on earth today, you might become one by believing, repenting, confessing your faith in Christ and being baptized. If there were not a church of …

Every year at Easter time, children everywhere enjoy searching for Easter eggs. For nineteen hundred years, adults have had an even greater challenge in searching for Easter itself. Church history shows that men have been unable to find the exact date of Easter, creating violent controversies in the ancient church. Scripture investigation shows that Easter proper is not even mentioned in the Bible. Despite these facts, denominations everywhere will have their Easter celebrations. In like manner, some churches of Christ will have their special “Easter services.” The question of New Testament authority for such proceedings will trouble them but little. They do not want to be perceived as being different from the denominations. They are succeeding. The practice of the New Testament church for over a century following its establishment was to acknowledge the death, burial and resurrection of Christ in the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:26). The early “church fathers” speak of this practice. Justin Martyr (second century) says in his first apology, “We all gather on Sunday because on this first day … Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead.” It was not until the second century that some Christians began to consider the resurrection of Jesus something to be commemorated annually as well as weekly. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “By the time the liturgy had begun to take shape (second century), the Sunday Eucharist (Lord’s Supper, DG) was preceded by a vigil service of Scripture reading and psalms. …

[The following article formerly appeared in the Salt Lake City Messenger, Issue No. 97, October 2001, p. 8, and is reprinted here with permission. This article is outstanding and written by those who have special knowledge and have conducted extensive research regarding Mormon issues.  The appearance of this article in the pages of Gospel Gazette Online, however, does not constitute theological agreement in other matters with its authors. ~ Editor] When God created humans He instituted His plan for marriage: one man should have one wife. Genesis 2:24 states:“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.” The first mention of polygamy in the Bible is Genesis 4:19: “And Lamech [a descendant of Cain] took unto him two wives …” But this was not attributed to instructions from God. If there was ever a justification for polygamy it would seem to have been needed when Adam and Eve were to populate the earth. Yet we see the pattern of just one woman and one man. The same pattern is carried out by Noah at the time of the Ark (Genesis 7:7). Noah took his one wife into the ark. Again, if polygamy were ordained of God, why didn’t He tell Noah to take additional wives to repopulate the earth faster? God instructed Moses that the kings of Israel were to have only one wife: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.” (Deut. 17:17) This is exactly what happened with Solomon. We read in …

There can be no doubt in the mind of the serious student of God’s Word that the church of our Lord is a unity, that it is not made up of thousands of little churches all of which believe and practice different, conflicting doctrines. Christ did not pray that there should be such division in his body, the church, but just the opposite. He prayed for oneness among those who would believe on him through the words of the apostles (John 17:20-23). The apostle Paul, as directed by the Holy Spirit, defines in detail the oneness for which Jesus prayed: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). This clearly defined directive stands in stark contrast to the realities of the denominational world today! The only basis for arriving at the unity for which Christ prayed is complete, unrelenting dependence upon his Truth, the only means by which man can be sanctified (John 17:17). In becoming a member of the one church for which he died, there must be complete agreement with the Truth that he proclaimed and, as well, there must be total unity with the inspired apostles who acted upon and revealed that Truth to us. Anything else, any other approach to becoming a member of his church creates …

The basic problem with gambling is that it involves the sin of covetousness, which is the desire to possess something that rightfully belongs to another. Dr. Stafford North, of the Oklahoma University of Science and Arts, defines gambling as “The act of risking what is yours in order to get what belongs to another with nothing given in return.” It has come to our attention that some are under the impression investing in the stock market falls into the same category as gambling because it involves risk. Many things in life involve risk, i.e. surgery, driving an automobile, etc. However, these do not constitute gambling according to the definition given, nor does it necessarily follow that an activity is a form of gambling just because risk is an element. Let us examine this in light of the Scriptures. First of all, from the beginning of time God has desired that man earn his living through honest labor. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). This “work ethic” is a tried and proven means to prosperity, as witnessed in our nation today. Yet many do not realize it has its roots in the divinely inspired Word of God! In the New Testament we also read, “if any would not work, neither should he eat” and “the laborer is worthy of his hire” and “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he …